The Paris Hilton non-profit grants $ 25,000 small subsidies held by women, hit by Eaton fire

Los Angeles – There are short moments when Annisa Faquir forgets that the small red chicken cafe, Altadena, her grandmother founded half a century ago, burned in Eaton fire.

“You think:” I can take something – Oh, wait, it is in ashes, “said Faquir, who worked at the store from her mother, Barbara Shay, took over the family business seven years ago.

Women want to rebuild it on the restaurant loved by neighbors for shrimp and grill, cat fish and Shay’s Secret House coffee mixture. They knew they would need help, but they were surprised when Paris Hilton called to offer them.

The red chicken coffee shop is one of the 50 businesses owned by women affected by the Eaton fire that received a recovery subsidy of up to $ 25,000 from Hilton’s Nonprofit 11:11 Media Impact and Gofundme.org.

“These women are the spine of their communities,” said the TV star Reality in a statement. “Through this strong partnership, we do not only help them to rebuild themselves – we invest in their future, their families and neighborhoods.”

Faquir said that the significant subsidy and the ease of process were useful, especially compared to the harder query for smaller subsidies from other donors who requested “an arm and a leg”. “They saw us,” she said. “They heard our story.”

Over 1,800 businesses were located in the Eaton and Palisades firefighters, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. They hired 9,600 workers and generated annual $ 1.4 billion sales. The county estimates the subsequent losses of economic production, income reductions and tax revenues will be in billions.

“Let’s make sure that they will remain on the surface now it is supercritic, so we can talk to them about the long -term recovery,” said Kelly Lobianco, director of the Department of Economic Opportunity of the county in LA, about these businesses.

In general, companies are struggling to reopen after catastrophes. In 2023, three quarters of the small businesses were subsigned, according to the insurer Hiscox, and less than half had property insurance.

In La Fire, many business owners have lost their homes. Some still repay loans from Covid-19 Pandemia. The county distributes about $ 20 million in emergency subsidies, but Lobianco said it would take a lot more.

After the applications flooded for their own program, 11:11 Media Impact and Gofundme.org extended from 11 to 50 subsidies. The recipients include children’s care centers, bakeries, bookstores, dance studios and salons.

“Seeing the overwhelming response from the entrepreneurial women who need support showed us how important and urgent it is to help this community reconstruct,” Hilton said.

The money will stimulate entrepreneurs who have worried that the Fire Eaton destroyed the future, said Lizzy Okoro Davidson, director of the Pasadena Business Center, who is partnership in the Subventions Program. Money can help pay back to close up after prolonged closures, ensure new spaces and replace equipment. “In some cases, the $ 25,000 will be the bridge to lead to 100% of what they need,” said Okoro Davidson.

Renata Ortega, owner Orla Floral Studio, used to run her floral design company from a converted garage near the house she shared with her husband and three dogs in the foot.

Since the fire Eaton destroyed his property, Ortega has worked from a common workshop in the center of the city where he borrowed by a floral designer colleague. It was a kindness that Ortega profoundly appreciates, but he knows that he will eventually need his own space.

“I didn’t really know if we would do it or how long we would do this, we have to start from scratch, so this subsidy gives me hope right now in an uncertainty,” she said.

Ortega will use the money for a warehouse and rental on a studio, while she and her husband rebuild their property. It must also replace all the vases, shelves and tools he has lost.

“I can continue a business that was once only one dream for me,” Ortega said, adding that he will be grateful to Hilton. “Now we will do this.”

The Business Center for Women in Pasadena will also receive $ 25,000 to provide free counseling to local business owners. Okoro Davidson said entrepreneurs will need many encouragement to continue.

“We are indeed at the beginning of the reconstruction process,” she said, adding that the business “reimaging” will follow. Companies that never had web sites now and could sell products online, she said, or the restaurants could convert into food trucks while they -and their customers -are rebuilt.

The grants came largely from the GOFUNDME.org fire relief fund, which has collected $ 7.7 million from 43,000 donors so far. Hilton, whose house in Malibu burned in the Palisades fire, donated $ 150,000 to the fire aid fund.

Her non -profit, which normally focuses on protecting children and amplifying female voices, raised $ 1.2 million in the first week after fires.

Faquir said that she and her mother will put the money to build the restaurant, replace the equipment and, finally, buy the land that their restaurant has been in the last 53 years. “It is the inheritance of our family,” said Faquir. “We must support what her mother started.”

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